Theresa Kubiak's Ireland Trip

Hello! My name is Theresa Kubiak and I am 16 years old.  For the past several years I have been heavily involved in playing Irish music. As a child, I always held a great love for Irish music, and this resulted in my mother making lessons available for me with a local musician in my hometown, joHn Kennedy of Kennedy's Kitchen. As I progressed 4 years into my music, my instructor, joHn, informed my mother that I was prepared to compete in my first competition, the Mid-West Fleadh (flah). Traveling to Chicago, Illinois, June 26, 2010, I competed and placed 3rd in my first national competition. I was completely ecstatic. Unfortunately, around 5 months after I had won, my instructor had to stop teaching. I decided to return to Chicago the following year anyway. It was on April 9, 2011 that I received a 3rd place medal once again. After I had won in 2011, my music slowly started to deteriorate, because I was not taking lessons so I did not have the encouragement I needed to keep me going. It was then that my old instructor suggested that I join one of the local Monday night sessions down at Fiddler's Hearth, in my hometown of South bend, Indiana. Being an 11 year old, I was a little nervous of the out come of the session, but as I went the first time and kept going back, I realized, I would never have more fun in my entire life than sitting around a hearth playing a bunch of old tunes for hours with many of the phenominal musicians that I have been blessed to know. One in particular, Nolan Ladewski. Nolan Ladewski is my old instructor, joHn Kennedy's, nephew, and also a member of the same Irish band joHn Kennedy created back in 1999, Kennedy's Kitchen. From watching and listening to Nolan play at the sessions and Kennedy's Kitchen's shows, to playing with them on St. Patrick's day, I was constantly inspired by his passion for the music and found myself wanting to listen to him more. It was lucky for me that, later the year of 2012, I started taking lessons from Nolan. I had taken lessons from Nolan for about 4 years, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of them. Recently, October of last year, I had to stop taking lessons, because he moved to Texas. However, since I have matured so much in my music, the encouragement that I received was from my musician friends at Fiddler's Hearth. I continued playing not because "I was taking lessons, so I had to",   but because playing Irish music is my love, my hobby, and I do not know where I would be without it. A couple months before I stopped taking lessons, I decided that I was going to compete in the Fleadh again after 5 years. I practiced intensely during the months leading up to the Fleadh. I am proud and pleased to say, that with the many months of arduous practice and determination, May 7, 2016, I received a first place gold medal in the 15-18 age group for my tin whistle solo. Along with receiving the gold medal, I was invited to attend a workshop with the Scoil Éigse school in Ennis, Ireland, this August with a chance to compete in the All-Ireland Fleadh for the All-Ireland title. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to study under many outstanding musicians and tutors, THE BEST OF THE BEST. This workshop will given me the chance to extend my love and knowledge of Irish music ,and it would be an honor to study with the Scoil Éigse school of Irish music. The Heritage has been passed down to me, and I will always hold a strong thirst to teach the next generation of Irish musicians the traditions, the many heart felt songs, and the constant love one can have for these tunes, so that they may pass them down from generation to generation themselves. I need to raise funds for round trip flight, hotel for 10 days, and food. I will be leaving August 12. Any donations will be GREATLY appreciated!  Thank you!

                                                    -Theresa Kubiak